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#Texas has a major data reporting problem. I describe more here about the data issues, including the current problems in reporting of tests.
Also problematic: hospitalization reporting and lack of data on race.
Thread. https://medium.com/@twhitfill/texas-has-a-data-reporting-problem-c855074d0c2a
Also problematic: hospitalization reporting and lack of data on race.
Thread. https://medium.com/@twhitfill/texas-has-a-data-reporting-problem-c855074d0c2a
2/ The reporting of testing has been significantly disrupted in TX. The reported number of tests in the last 2 wks has plummeted ~50% from a peak of ~65K tests on Jul 23 to 28K tests on Aug 11. Meanwhile, the tests positivity rate has exceeded 20% — peaking at 24.5% on August 11.
3/ But upon closer inspection of the data reported by @TexasHHSC, there were “pending assignments” not reported in the main daily reports. It’s unclear what this category represents exactly, but it declined from 1.1M to 476K on Aug 11. Meanwhile, reported new tests decreased
4/ It’s unclear what is happening, but the state has launched an investigation. It’s possible that the data are being cleaned and removed, but at this point, no one knows. More from @COVID19Tracking @CohoKelly
@n_pat_kelly here h/t @PeterJ_Walker https://covidtracking.com/blog/something-is-wrong-with-testing-data-in-the-great-state-of-texas
@n_pat_kelly here h/t @PeterJ_Walker https://covidtracking.com/blog/something-is-wrong-with-testing-data-in-the-great-state-of-texas
5/ These issues point to a broader call to action in transparent data reporting both at the state and national level. Trustworthy, transparent, and publicly accessible data are imperative for research and response to COVID-19. We need a response from @TexasHHSC
6/ TX also has a problem with reporting on race. COVID-19 impacts communities of color significantly worse than whites. Texas now reports race w/death, but it has only reported race on **7% of cases** and has indicated that it won't fix this problem. https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2020/texas-coronavirus-cases-map/
7/ Why do we need more info on cases? Death records from TX indicate that 12.6% of deaths are Black and 52.5% are Hispanic/Latinx, which is disproportionately much higher than the TX Hispanic/Latinx population of 38.2%. Tragic. https://www.texastribune.org/2020/07/30/texas-coronavirus-hispanic/
END/ We shouldn’t have to prod, sue, or rely on leaks for COVID-19 data; they should all be complete and accessible by the public. We especially need these data to safely reopen schools.
(Thanks for covering TX @alexismadrigal @PeterJ_Walker @thehowie) https://medium.com/@twhitfill/texas-has-a-data-reporting-problem-c855074d0c2a
(Thanks for covering TX @alexismadrigal @PeterJ_Walker @thehowie) https://medium.com/@twhitfill/texas-has-a-data-reporting-problem-c855074d0c2a
